Letter: Mistreatment of dogs is a Sochi disaster

Editor's note: This letter is being republished because the original contained errors.

A front-page report that appeared in the Tuesday edition of the Reporter-Herald, titled: "Sochi city hall orders killing of stray dogs in Olympic sites" literally brought tears to my eyes.

The article described thousands of stray, abandoned, homeless dogs roaming the streets and countryside of Sochi, Russia. It has been decided that these innocent creatures must now be killed, by a "pest company" no less, because these dogs may "bother" visitors who attend the upcoming winter Olympics.

Outrageous. Unconscionable.

In my nearly 79 years I have had both the privilege and pleasure to share my life with numerous family pets, mostly dogs. Each, without exception, has given me total devotion and years of wonderful, meaningful companionship. Is it any wonder that it has often been said: "A dog is man's best friend."

Who could possibly bring a domesticated animal into their lives and homes, and then simply let it run loose, often in harsh environmental conditions, without food, water, or proper shelter?

These thousands of innocent dogs have already suffered enough because of ignorance, stupidity, and total irresponsibility on the part of their "owners." And now they will die in what, more than likely, will be a horrific death. There is no excuse for animal abuse. Yet, this is what is happening, right now, in Sochi, Russia.

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As Mahatma Gandhi correctly stated: "The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated."

And the late attorney George Graham Vest once said before a jury at conclusion of an animal abuse case: "The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful, in his dog."

How utterly sad that there are so many who fail to understand these simple concepts.

This entire scenario in Sochi, Russia, is nothing short of a totally uncalled-for, and unnecessary tragedy.

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